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Monday, May 07, 2007

Malaysia needs AFC support for second GOAL

FIFA president Joseph Sepp Blatter said that whether Malaysia will get a second FIFA Goal Project will depend largely on the efforts of the Football Association of Malaysia and the Asian Football Confederation. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the FIFA-financed artificial football turf at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Blatter said that should the FAM want funding for a second Goal Project, then the two parties must work hard. The FIFA Goal Project, which involves football development among youngsters at the grassroots level, has been implemented in 26 countries and of these, six countries have been awarded a second such project.

"The Goal Project was discussed way back in 1998 with Mohamad Bin Hammam (the current AFC president) and Michel Platini (the current UEFA president) and I'm really glad that the vision has become a reality," said Blatter. He added that the artificial turf was easier to maintain and it would not be easily destroyed and thanked the FAM and especially its deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah for his tireless efforts in realising the objective.